Yu Yongxin, director of the Yantai municipal publicity department, briefs the city’s famous products at a promotional conference in Beijing on Oct 22. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Yantai is accelerating local brand cultivation and promotion in an effort to develop into an international coastal city with a strong industrial foundation.

Yu Yongxin, director of the Yantai municipal publicity department, made the remarks at a brand promotional conference hosted by the Yantai government in China's capital of Beijing on Oct 22.

The conference introduced the city’s local brands in the fields of manufacturing, cultural tourism and agriculture.

Li Zhaohui, deputy mayor of Yantai, hosted the conference. Liu Pingjun, director-general of the China Council for Brand Development, attended and stressed the key role branding plays in boosting industrial development and promoting new growth drivers.

Situated in eastern Jiaodong Peninsula, Yantai is renowned as an international center of fruit cultivation and processing due to its favorable climate.

The city’s fruit, wine and sea products are extremely popular in China. Yantai apples, with a brand value of 13.7 billion yuan ($1.98 billion), have been the leading fruit brand in China for 10 consecutive years.

Yantai-based wine producer Changyu Group has been listed among China’s top 500 most valuable brands for 15 consecutive years, with a brand value of 22.2 billion yuan.

As for marine equipment manufacturing, Blue Whale 1 and Blue Whale 2, ultra-deep-water drilling rigs built by Yantai CIMC Raffles, helped China become the first country to explore gas hydrates.

Looking forward, the city government will continue to bolster its regional branding, promotion and market expansion to stimulate local industrial development.